Book Review: "Anxious People" by Fredrik Backman
"Some of us never manage to get the chaos under control, so our lives simply carry on, the world spinning through space at two million miles an hour while we bounce about on its surface like so many lost socks."
Genre: Contemporary, Humorous Fiction
Anxious people is the first book by this author that I've ever read, and I totally loved it.
It is a story of an attempted bank robbery turned hostage drama, which unfolds in the most peculiar way as it delves deeper into the lives of each character, contemplating on life and its various facets - of what it means to be an adult, to be a parent, to be a human, and about the anxieties of it all - in a very humorous, yet humane manner. It is a thought provoking and heartfelt narrative that will take you through an array of emotions through its witty and poignant account of the events. The chapters are very short and moves in a seamless manner, jumping from one angle to the next through an omniscient narrator, with every character taking the center strange at least once within the novel. The narrative is filled in dark humor and word play, all of which adds dimensions to it. It is not very strong on plot and is more character centered.
As I was saying earlier, it is about a bank robbery, the how and why of that robbery, how it did not take place, but ending up being a hostage situation with an apartment full of 8 people who were there for the apartment viewing; and how the bank robber/hostage-taker disappeared without a trace leaving behind some very disgruntled police officers (one in particular). It is quiet funny when you think about it all, but then again, you think, and it's not so funny after all.
Oh! It's also a story about some idiots, and a bridge. It's about some idiots who happen to collide together in a very improbable situation, ending up becoming bridges for one another, back to the their life, from their past, and towards a better future. A bridge, from over another bridge.
Do not pass off a chance you get to read the book, and don't let the initial quirkiness of the narrative or the book title fool you. It is a feel good read in the end, leaving you with much to think about. It might very well end up becoming one of your favorites. Did for me, and I recommend it to everyone.
*It deals with suicide and other mental health issues.
Do let me know what you thought about the book in the comments below.
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